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"The Sun and Moon, next unto God, are the life of all things living." (translation of the same by Henry Coley, who writes English prose better than I do).
I have taken the liberty of posting the Inception Chart for the present "blog", based on the time of its first post (24 August 2009, 8:50 PM). As we continue our discussion of the astrological principles embodied in the Centiloquium Hermetis, I will be referring to this chart as an example. Our conversation will thus become self-referential.
The First Aphorism
Let's begin by looking once again at the first aphorism of the Centiloquium Hermetis:
1. Sol & Luna post Deum, omnium viventium vita sunt. Multorum quidem nativitates non habent hyleg, sed quia Sol & Luna ascendens eorum ex dilectione aspiciunt existentes liberi exinde vita eorum diucius elongatur. (1494 edition) [1]
The first sentence we have already discussed. But what of what follows? "Yet the nativities of many have no hyleg; but because the Sun and Moon, being free (from affliction), favorably aspect their ascendant, for this reason their life is further prolonged."
The Centiloquium Hermetis comes right to the point--the true purpose of Astrology is not to generate some kind of (unfalsifiable) psychological delineation, but to predict specific and verifiable events. The astrological computation of the length of life is one such procedure.
[1] The 1533 edition presents a variant reading: . . . aspiciunt, eodem libero existente, eorum vita diutius elongatur. This reading implies that it is not the luminaries, but the ascendent itself that must be free from affliction.
Identification of the Hyleg (General Principles)
This first aphorism leads us immediately to an examination of one of the more complex procedures current among the old astrologers--the identification of the hyleg. The hyleg (pron. HIGH-leg, from Arabic haylaj) is the usual term for what the Hellenistic astrologers called the Prorogator or Apheta. This is the planet responsible for the subject's life-force and vitality. The procedure for determining which planet is the hyleg is quite complex. Several competing versions of that procedure are presented by classical, mediaeval, and Renaissance writers on Astrology (often yielding markedly different results). The locus classicus for this doctrine is found in the Quadripartitum of Ptolemy (book three, chapter ten).
Ptolemy presents an algorithm, a sort of Mental Machine, for identifying the hyleg. Ptolemy is not a very lucid writer, so parts of this algorithm may admit of alternate interpretations. Based on a careful analysis of the Greek text (first undertaken in 1995), I will here attempt to lay it out clearly, and in accordance with the conventions of Hellenistic Astrology.
First of all, Ptolemy says that the hyleg must be in one of the five prorogative (or aphetic) places. These prorogative places correspond (more or less) to mundane houses, but they are measured along the ecliptic in 30º segments, beginning from a point 5º above the ascendant (horoskopos), where the ecliptic crosses the eastern horizon. The ascendant of the present chart is 4 Aries 40, so if we deduct 5º we find that the prorogative place corresponding to the first house begins at 29 Pisces 40 and extends to 29 Aries 40. It is thus an arc extending along the ecliptic from 5º above the horizon to 25º below the horizon. Ptolemy's five prorogative places (in order of priority) are the tenth, first, eleventh, seventh, and ninth houses. Thus, the five prorogative places in the present chart are as follows:
X (from 29Sag40 to 29Cap40)
I (from 29Pis40 to 29Ari40)
XI (from 29Cap40 to 29Aqu40)
VII (from 29Vir40 to 29Lib40)
IX (from 29Sco40 to 29Sag40)
Second, Ptolemy stipulates that there are five planets or points which may qualify as the hyleg: the Sun, the Moon, the Ascendant degree, the Pars Fortunae ("Part of Fortune") [2], and the Almuten (the planet possessing the greatest number of essential dignities in certain chart positions). In order to qualify as hyleg, that planet or point must occupy one of the five hylegiacal or aphetic places.
Third, it is necessary to note whether the chart is diurnal or nocturnal (the present chart is nocturnal since the Sun is below the western horizon); and to determine the positions of the two preceding syzygies (New and Full Moons). In the present case, there was a New Moon at 27 Leo 32 on 20 August, and a Full Moon at 13 Leo 43 on 6 August. If the syzygia ante nativitatem was a New Moon (as in the present case), then the chart is a Conjunctional Chart; if a Full Moon, it is a Preventional Chart.
[2] According to Ptolemy, the pars fortunae is found by taking the distance from the Sun to the Moon, measured along the ecliptic "in the direction of following signs" (i.e. in zodiacal order, west to east), and then adding that same distance to the ascendant, again in the direction of following signs. Ptolemy states that this same formula is to be used for both diurnal and nocturnal charts, in contradistinction to most other Hellenistic writers, who employed two different formulae. In the present chart, the pars fortunae is derived as follows: Moon at 4 Scorpio 44 (214º44' [30º per sign]) minus Sun at 2 Virgo 06 (152º06') = 62º38' (the distance from the Sun to the Moon). We then add this to the ascendant: Ascendant at 4 Aries 40 (4º40')plus 62º38' = 67º18', or 7 Gemini 18, which is the pars fortunae.
Ptolemy's Algorithm
With these principles in mind, we are ready to apply Ptolemy's algorithm, which proceeds as follows:
A. Is the chart diurnal? NO: proceed to B [step 6].
YES: proceed to step 1.
1. Is the Sun in a hylegiacal place?
NO: proceed to step 2.
YES: in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
_____ Proceed to step 2.
2. Is the Moon in a hylegiacal place?
NO: proceed to step 3.
YES: in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
_____ Proceed to step 3.
3. Are any of the remaining planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in hylegiacal places?
NO: proceed to step 4.
YES: circle the planets found in hylegiacal places, and proceed to 3a.
3a. Examine the degree of the Sun. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 3 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. [3] For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Sun. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 3b.
3b. Examine the degree of the Preceding New Moon. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 3 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Preceding New Moon. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 3c.
3c. Examine the degree of the Ascendant. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 3 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Ascendant. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 3d.
3d. Tabulate the results of 3a, 3b, and 3c. Does any planet have two or more relations [4] to any of these three degrees?
NO: proceed to step 4.
YES: proceed to 3e.
3e. Does only one planet have two or more such relations?
NO: proceed to 3f.
YES: That planet is the Almuten of the Prorogation; in the blank below, enter that planet along with the number [1-5] which corresponds to that planet’s hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
__________ _____ Proceed to step 4.
3f. For each qualifying planet, assign one point for each relation of domination (ignoring cases where there is only one such relation; e.g. if Jupiter has two relations to the Sun and one relation to the Ascendant, assign two points, not three). The planet with the most points is the Almuten of the Prorogation; in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that planet’s hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1]. In case of a tie, record two (or more) planets.
__________ _____
__________ _____
__________ _____ Proceed to step 4.
4. Have any numbers been entered in the blanks for steps 1, 2, 3e, or 3f?
NO: proceed to step 5.
YES: copy any numbers entered in steps 1, 2, 3e, 3f into the chart below, and then compute the required sums:
Sun [step 1]: _____ + 2 = _____
Moon [step 2]: _____ + 1 = _____
Almuten [steps 3e, 3f]: _____ + 0 = _____
(Almuten [steps 3e, 3f]: _____ + 0 = _____) Proceed to 4a.
4a. Has only one sum been entered in the chart?
NO: proceed to 4b.
YES: that planet is the hyleg [END]
4b. In the chart below, enter the sum for each planet from step 4. Then count the number of essential dignities (House, Exaltation, Trigon, Term) each planet possesses in the degree it occupies, and enter that number below:
Sun: _____ + _____ = _____
Moon: _____ + _____ = _____
Almuten: _____ + _____ = _____
(Almuten: _____ + _____ = _____)
Compute the sums. Does the Almuten have at least two essential dignities (second column)? NO: the luminary with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
YES: proceed to 4c.
4c. In the chart below, circle Mercury in the diurnal sect column if it is a morning star (rising ahead of the Sun); circle Mercury in the nocturnal sect column if it is an evening star (rising after the Sun). Then, enter the number of relations of domination the Almuten possesses to each of the other six planets:
diurnal sect nocturnal sect
Sun _____ Moon _____
Jupiter _____ Venus _____
Saturn _____ Mars _____
Mercury _____ Mercury _____
Has at least one number been entered in each column?
NO: refer to 4b. The luminary with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
YES: refer to 4b. The planet with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
5. Ascendant is hyleg (by default). [END]
B. (for nocturnal charts)
6. Is the Moon in a hylegiacal place?
NO: proceed to step 7.
YES: in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
_____ Proceed to step 7.
7. Is the Sun in a hylegiacal place?
NO: proceed to step 8.
YES: in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
_____ Proceed to step 8.
8. Are any of the remaining planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) in hylegiacal places?
NO: proceed to step 9.
YES: circle the planets found in hylegiacal places, and proceed to 8a.
8a. Examine the degree of the Moon. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 8 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. [3] For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Moon. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 8b.
8b. Examine the degree of the Preceding Full Moon. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 8 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Preceding Full Moon. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 8c.
8c. Examine the degree of the Pars Fortunae. Note whether any of the planets circled in step 8 are essentially dignified in that degree according to the Five Modes of Domination. For each eligible planet, record the number of relations of domination to the degree of the Pars Fortunae. The planet possessing the most relations of domination is the Almuten of that degree.
Mercury _____
Venus _____
Mars _____
Jupiter _____
Saturn _____ Proceed to 8d.
8d. Tabulate the results of 8a, 8b, and 8c. Does any planet have two or more relations [4] to any of these three degrees?
NO: proceed to step 9.
YES: proceed to 8e.
8e. Does only one planet have two or more such relations?
NO: proceed to 8f.
YES: That planet is the Almuten of the Prorogation; in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that planet’s hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1].
__________ _____ Proceed to step 9.
8f. For each qualifying planet, assign one point for each relation of domination (ignoring cases where there is only one such relation; e.g. if Jupiter has two relations to the Sun and one relation to the Ascendant, assign two points, not three). The planet with the most points is the Almuten of the Prorogation; in the blank below, enter the number [1-5] which corresponds to that planet’s hylegiacal place [10th place = 5, 1st place = 4, 11th place = 3, 7th place = 2, 9th place = 1]. In case of a tie, record two (or more) planets.
__________ _____
__________ _____
__________ _____ Proceed to step 9.
9. Have any numbers been entered in the blanks for steps 6, 7, 8e, or 8f?
NO: proceed to step 10.
YES: copy any numbers entered in steps 6, 7, 8e, 8f into the chart below, and then compute the required sums:
Moon [step 6]: _____ + 2 = _____
Sun [step 7]: _____ + 1 = _____
Almuten [steps 8e, 8f]: _____ + 0 = _____
(Almuten [steps 8e, 8f]: _____ + 0 = _____) Proceed to 9a.
9a. Has only one sum been entered in the chart?
NO: proceed to 9b.
YES: that planet is the hyleg [END]
9b. In the chart below, enter the sum for each planet from step 9. Then count the number of essential dignities (House, Exaltation, Trigon, Term) each planet possesses in the degree it occupies, and enter that number below:
Sun: _____ + _____ = _____
Moon: _____ + _____ = _____
Almuten: _____ + _____ = _____
(Almuten: _____ + _____ = _____)
Compute the sums. Does the Almuten have at least two essential dignities (second column)? NO: the luminary with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
YES: proceed to 9c.
9c. In the chart below, circle Mercury in the diurnal sect column if it is a morning star (rising ahead of the Sun); circle Mercury in the nocturnal sect column if it is an evening star (rising after the Sun). Then, enter the number of relations of domination the Almuten possesses to each of the other six planets:
diurnal sect nocturnal sect
Sun _____ Moon _____
Jupiter _____ Venus _____
Saturn _____ Mars _____
Mercury _____ Mercury _____
Has at least one number been entered in each column?
NO: refer to 9b. The luminary with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
YES: refer to 9b. The planet with the highest score is the hyleg. [END]
10. Is this a Conjunctional Chart (syzygia ante nativitatem = New Moon)?
YES: Ascendant is hyleg (by default). [END]
NO: Since this is a Preventional Chart (syzygia ante nativitatem = Full Moon), take the Pars Fortunae as hyleg (by default). [END]
NOTES
[3] The Five Modes of Domination are Domicile, Exaltation, Term, Trigon, and Configuration. For the first three modes, simply note whether the planet rules the House, Exaltation, and Term that the degree in question falls in (I have used the Egyptian terms here, since these are the most commonly accepted).
For Trigon, consider only the diurnal triplicity ruler for a diurnal chart, only the nocturnal triplicity ruler for a nocturnal chart. In the case of the Water triplicity, assign one point to each co-ruler (Venus by day, Moon by night). Optionally, for a diurnal chart, one could also assign half a point to the nocturnal triplicity ruler(s), or to the diurnal triplicity ruler(s) in the case of a nocturnal chart. I have used the Ptolemaic triplicity rulers here; if desired, the Dorothean triplicity rulers may of course be used instead.
For Configuration, consider only applying aspects. Note whether any planet will perfect an aspect or bodily conjunction to that degree (or planet) before leaving its current sign. Discard any aspect which will not perfect before one or both planets leaves its current sign.
Ptolemy’s Triplicity Rulers
diurnal nocturnal
Fire Sun Jupiter
Earth Venus Moon
Air Saturn Mercury
Water Mars + Venus Mars + Moon
[4] Quadripartitum iii.10 stipulates a minimum of three relations; elsewhere, however (iii.3), Ptolemy states that a planet with just two such relations can be considered.
Ptolemy's Algorithm applied to the present Inception Chart
Such is the teaching of Claudius Ptolemy.
Turning our attention to the present chart for the inception of Beltrano’s Parlour, we find that the chart is nocturnal (the Sun had already set by 8:50 PM). Thus, we begin with step 6. The Moon in the 5th degree of Scorpio does not occupy a hylegiacal place, so we proceed to step 7. The Sun (3rd degree of Virgo) is not in a hylegiacal place either, so we proceed to step 8 to consider the other five planets. Mercury, at 29 Virgo 22, falls just short of the 7th place (which begins at 29 Virgo 40). Jupiter (21st degree of Aquarius) occupies the 11th place. Venus, Mars, and Saturn are not in hylegiacal places. So we circle Jupiter in step 8, and proceed to step 8a.
Here we are instructed to examine the degree of the Moon (5th degree of Scorpio). Since only one planet has been circled (step 8), we need only consider the relation of Jupiter to that degree. We find that Jupiter possesses no essential dignities there (by Domicile, Exaltation, Triplicity, or Term). We also find that Jupiter (in Aquarius) is configured by Square aspect (3 signs apart) to the Moon in Scorpio; moreover, this is a doubly-applying aspect (since Jupiter is retrograde, the two planets are moving toward each other). When we consult the Ephemeris, we find that Jupiter will make its station at 17 Aquarius 10, after which its motion will be direct. However, the square aspect will still perfect because the Moon will reach the 18th degree of Scorpio within a day or so. Consequently, Jupiter has just one relation of domination to the degree of the Moon, and we write a “one” next to Jupiter in step 8a.
We now proceed to step 8b, examining the relation of Jupiter to the degree of the Preceding Full Moon, which occurred on 6 August 2009 at 13 Leo 43. Since Jupiter is the nocturnal ruler of the Fire Triplicity (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), it has one relation of domination to that degree, but possesses no other essential dignities there. Although Jupiter (by retrograde motion) is applying to an Opposition to the degree of the Preceding Full Moon, that aspect cannot be counted because Jupiter will resume its direct motion before reaching the 14th degree of Aquarius, so the aspect will never perfect. Consequently, we are left with only one relation of domination to the degree of the Preceding Full Moon. We enter the number “one” next to Jupiter in step 8b, and proceed to step 8c, where we will examine the relation of Jupiter to the degree of the pars fortunae at 7 Gemini 18. We find that this degree falls within the Term of Jupiter, and that although Jupiter is configured by Trine aspect (4 signs apart) to Gemini, that aspect will never perfect for the reason already noted. Consequently, we enter the number “one” next to Jupiter in step 8c also.
Proceeding to step 8, we note that Jupiter has no more than one relation to any of these three degrees. For this reason, we skip ahead to step 9. From here, since no numbers have been entered in steps 6, 7, 8e, or 8f, we proceed to step 10. Since the last syzygy was a New Moon on 20 August 2009, this is a Conjunctional chart. Therefore, by default, the Ascendant is taken as hyleg.
Once the hyleg has been identified, Ptolemy gives instructions for identifying the anareta (or interfector). The procedure for finding the anareta, or "killing planet," is considerably less complex than that of finding the hyleg. The length of life can then be computed by means of Primary Direction involving the hyleg and the anareta. Obviously such algorithms are readily programmable, and Rumen Kolev has written a program (the Porphyrius Magus module of Placidus 6.00) which implements the entire procedure outlined here. But let us return to the first aphorism of the Centiloquium Hermetis.
The First Aphorism, Revisited
"Yet the nativities of many have no hyleg; but because the Sun and Moon, being free (from affliction), favorably aspect their ascendant, for this reason their life is further prolonged."
If we use Ptolemy's algorithm, there will always be a hyleg; even if no luminary or planet qualifies as hyleg, the Ascendant or Pars Fortunae will be taken as hyleg by default. However, the Centiloqium Hermetis refers to a situation where there is "no hyleg," and where the Ascendant appears to take over this function. This statement comports well with Ptolemy's algorithm, which (in default of a qualifying luminary or planet) will yield the Ascendant as hyleg 75% of the time (and the pars fortunae 25% of the time).
In such a case, where the Ascendant is hyleg by default, the Centiloqium instructs us to note whether the luminaries aspect the Ascendant by Trine (four signs apart) or by Sextile (two signs apart). Such aspects from the luminaries will prolong life, even in the absence of a hylegiacal planet. However, there is a qualification: the luminaries must be free from affliction. This means the Sun and Moon must not be in the signs of their exilium (Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Capricorn) or detrimentum (Sun in Libra, Moon in Scorpio), and that there must be no applying Square or Oppositional aspects involving the luminaries (Sun and Moon) and any other planet. If we follow the text of the 1533 edition, the qualification is different: it is the Ascendant itself which must be free from affliction. This means that there must be no applying Square or Oppositional aspects to the Ascendant from any planet, and neither of the malefics (Saturn and Mars) may be in the rising sign. [5]
Our Inceptional Chart is clearly a case of this sort. When we applied Ptolemy's Algorithm, we found that the Ascendant became hyleg by default. Let us now examine that chart in light of the first aphorism:
We find that both the Sun (in Virgo) and the Moon (in Scorpio) are inconjunct to the Ascendant (in Aries)--a notably unfortunate configuration which only obtains about one-ninth of the time. There are no aspects at all between the luminaries and the ascendant.
There is really no need to continue, but we should also consider the qualifications, if only as an exercise. If we follow the reading of the 1494 edition, we find that the Sun is not in the signs of Libra or Aquarius; of the several aspects between the Sun and other planet, the sextile to the Moon is a separating aspect, while the applying aspects to Mercury, Venus, and Mars will never perfect (all three planets are in late degrees and will leave their current signs before perfection). However, the Sun is applying to a conjunction with Saturn in Virgo, and this aspect will perfect. For this reason, the Sun is afflicted. As for the Moon, it is in Scorpio (the sign of its detrimentum), and is forming a doubly-applying Square aspect to Jupiter (which will perfect before either planet leaves its current sign), as well as an applying Sextile aspect to Saturn, which will also perfect. The Moon is thus afflicted in three ways.
If we follow the reading of the 1533 edition, we will examine the ascendant instead. The only aspect which involves the ascendant is a Sextile from Jupiter (retrograde) in Aquarius. However, this aspect will never perfect (since Jupiter will resume direct motion in the 18th degree of Aquarius). Thus, the ascendant is free from affliction. Again, there is no real need to consider these qualifications since we already know that there are no aspects between the luminaries and the ascendant.
I am afraid that none of these considerations suggests a very long life for Beltrano's Parlour. Very likely I will write a few more posts and then lose interest in this project, as I have in so many others! But for now, I remain highly motivated--who knows, maybe if I analyzed the Primary Directions I would find this prorogation to be unexpectedly robust.
This has been an exceptionally lengthy posting, owing to the necessity of demonstrating Ptolemy's Algorithm for finding the hyleg. I have found this to be an excellent teaching tool. Anyone who learns to implement this procedure will, in the process, acquire a solid understanding of a number of important astrological concepts and techniques.
BELTRANO
[5] Trine (120º) and Sextile (60º) aspects are always positive, even if they involve the malefics (Saturn and Mars). Opposition (180º) and Square (90º) aspects are always negative, even if they involve the benefics (Jupiter and Venus). Bodily conjunction (0º) is a special case, not really an aspect; conjunctions are considered positive if they involve a benefic, negative if they involve a malefic.
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